Alvin Warren believes the president has done more for Native Americans than any other president ever has.
"There were significant issues the president addressed in his first term, "said Warren of the Santa Clara Pueblo.
Tracy Goodluck agreed and said Native Americans have had a strong voice in the White House.
"I think President Obama has been very responsive to the tribal nations and tribal people both on and off reservations Indians," said Goodluck of the Oneida Nations.
By Chris Casteel
Obama, Baker said here Tuesday, “is the best president for Indian Country in the history of the United States.”
Through the years, Indian tribal chiefs have met a lot of U.S. presidents, but the meetings with Obama have been more than just superficial photo opportunities, Baker said.
“This president has made promises to Indian Country, and he's kept them,” Baker said. “He is a promise keeper. And that needs to be recognized and rewarded.”
Baker, who was elected principal chief last year to the largest Indian tribe in the nation, is a delegate to the Democratic National Convention this week.
It could not be determined Tuesday whether the chiefs of other Indian tribes had ever served as delegates to national party conventions, but it is, at the least, extraordinary.
By Adrian Jawort
She was recently invited by President Barack Obama to speak at the Democratic National Convention being held in Charlotte, North Carolina September 4-6.
Juneau told the Billings Gazette she wasn’t sure exactly what she’d be speaking about but she assumes it will be centered on education in Montana.
For more on the Republican convention, see Republicans: White People Own America.
Below: Denise Juneau.
For more on the subject, see:
ReplyDeletehttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.com/2012/09/06/american-indian-delegates-swarm-democratic-national-convention
American Indian Delegates Swarm Democratic National Convention
American Indians, making their presence known as a force to be reckoned with in American politics—especially in an age of close swing-vote elections where every vote matters—are all over the Democratic National Convention, which is scheduled to conclude tonight with the acceptance of the party’s nomination by President Barack Obama.
In total, there are 161 Native Democratic delegates attending the convention, according to Holly Cook Macarro, a tribal lobbyist with Ietan Consulting who has sat in on Indian meet-and-greets with Jill Biden and top administration officials taking place throughout the three-day event in Charlotte, North Carolina. Her husband, Mark Macarro, chairman of the Pechanga Band of Luiseño Indians, is one of those delegates, and he cast his vote in support of Obama early on September 6 after a rousing speech by former president, Bill Clinton.
“The attendance by American Indians at the DNC is unparalleled,” said A. Gay Kingman, executive director of the Great Plains Tribal Chairman’s Association. She noted that there are two American Indian delegates attending the convention from South Dakota, along with American Indian South Dakota State Representative, Kevin Killer, and she said there are at least two American Indians attending as delegates from North Dakota.
Tex Hall, chairman of the Three Affiliated Tribes, said that Glenda Embry, his tribe’s public relations director, is a delegate, and that he is proud of the support for tribal sovereignty expressed in the recently released Democratic platform.
Several more Democratic Indian delegates hail from Washington state, California, Montana, Oregon, New Mexico, Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota, and other states with large Native populations.